Former President Trump insulted retired Gen. Mark Milley, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, calling him a “loser” on Wednesday following a hearing on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“Mark Milley is a loser who disgraced us in Afghanistan and other places!” Trump stated in a Truth Social post.
This is not the first time Trump has criticized his appointee.
Milley has turned into a critic of Trump and labeled him a “wannabe dictator” in his retirement speech in September. The week prior to that speech, Trump accused Milley of treason in a Truth Social post, appearing to refer to calls made by Milley to China for reassurance at the end of Trump’s term.
“This is an act so heinous that, in the past, the punishment would have been DEATH!” Trump’s post read. “A conflict between China and the United States could have been the result of this treacherous act. To be continued!!!”
On Tuesday, Milley responded to Trump’s September post at the House Foreign Affairs hearing on the Afghanistan withdrawal, stating that he doesn’t “agree with the comments, but it’s a free country, and people can say what they want.”
“With all due respect, guys, I’m here for the families of Abbey Gate,” Milley continued, regarding the 13 U.S. soldiers killed in the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021.
“And I’ll leave those comments — as much as I don’t care for those comments, don’t agree with them — they have a right to say them,” Milley said. “But I’d like to stay focused on these families.”
The Hill has reached out to the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, where Milley is a Charles and Marie Robertson visiting professor and lecturer.
